Latest Post
Diving into Faculty Scholarship: Forthcoming W&M Press Publications
Posted October 23, 2025
In honor of International Open Access Week, we are excited to share details about two forthcoming publications from W&M Press.
W&M Libraries Blog
Redrawing France with the "La Hire Map"
Posted
Joe Catanzaro explains a pivotal moment in cartography captured in our collections.
Arthur Lee "Philanthropos" and 18th Century Abolitionism
Posted
Abolition was not a radical nineteenth century idea that miraculously emerged from the political ideologies of the Age of Revolution. A 1767 address from Arthur Lee of Virginia serves as a reminder that the abolitionist movement did not have a linear trajectory, and that individuals protested slavery throughout its existence.
Iconoclasts in the Archives
Posted
Before Jon Stewart '84 and Trevor Noah, before Stephen Colbert and John Oliver and Saturday Night Live, before Tina Fey and Samantha Bee and Andrea Gibson, there was George Jean Nathan and H.L. Mencken. A slice of the Nathan/Mencken story lives in the Special Collections Research Center at Swem Library.
"A Classical Education": A British Student's Outlook, 1808-1812
Posted
This summer we're publishing a series of blog posts written by students for the class HIST 211 Books: Technology and Culture. Their posts are based on materials in the Special Collections Research Center. Check out their bright insights every other week. Today's entry is written by Chela Aufderheide.
Recent Acquisition Documents the Italian Service Unit
Posted
During World War II, thousands of Italian prisoners of war were sent to the United States to help fill labor shortages created by the war.
Travel Grant Recipient Research Report: David Silkenat
Posted
On August 23, 1812, Robert Stevens wrote to his parents in Rhode Island from New Orleans in the aftermath of a hurricane, "a Scene of horror & devastation."
Part medical guide, part... civics textbook?
Posted
In early 1792, Thomas Dobson, a prominent Philadelphia printer in the middle of printing the first American edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, took a much smaller commission: William Currie's An Historical Account of the Climates and Diseases of the United States of America.
Flying Further: More Stories from the William & Mary Flight School
Posted
Recent visitors to Swem Library will have noticed a change in the exhibit facing the front entrance.
The Ghost of Edmund Mitchell
Posted
A daguerreotype of a young Baltimore merchant, the first victim of a bitter, homicidal political era, resides in the Special Collections Research Center in Swem Library—a ghostly message from the past.
Rev. Curtis W. Harris, Hopewell's Drum Major for Justice
Posted
The Reverend Curtis W. Harris is best known for his role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Civil Rights organization founded by Martin Luther King, Jr., though he has not been studied closely by historians.
The Rising Cost of Information: University of California Splits from Elsevier
Posted
On February 28, 2019, the University of California System announced the end of its relationship with publishing giant Elsevier, when a deal between the two could not be met despite months of negotiation.
Finding my second home in the Reeder Media Center
Posted
It only took one tour of William & Mary for me to know that the College was for me. I remember that day fondly.
Your Whiteboard Responses Help W&M Libraries Build Its Book Collection
Posted
On a whiteboard in the lobby we asked, "Which book best captures your identity or culture?" Students gave us over 50 fantastic responses that highlighted the wonderful diversity in our community!
Getting to know library student assistants: Alicia Draper
Posted
W&M Libraries is lucky to have many talented student employees. Today's post will introduce Alicia Draper.
Once a Student, Now an Intern: Examining the History of African-American Spirituals
Posted
A broadside for the performance of a traveling minstrel show, advertising "an evening of singing, dancing, music, and jokes," caught the attention of a student in the Special Collections Reading Room this past week.
Blind date with a book
Posted
With February officially behind us, we say good-bye to that infamous holiday of love--Valentine's Day. This year the Libraries celebrated Valentine's Day with an event universally known (among libraries anyway) as Blind Date with a Book.
Getting to know library student assistants: Alexia Kaelber
Posted
W&M Libraries is lucky to have many talented student employees. As a library student employee myself -- I am a Mosaic Diversity intern working in Swem Library's External Relations Office -- I decided to get to know miy fellow student assistants.
A Work in Progress: February Catalog Updates
Posted
The catalog update launched just over a month ago, and we would like to share some new updates and information on feedback you have sent us.
Getting to know our library student assistants
Posted
W&M Libraries is lucky to have many talented student employees. As a library student employee myself -- I am a Mosaic Diversity intern working in Swem Library's External Relations Office -- I decided to get to know miy fellow student assistants.
Arthur Lee Philanthropos "Address to Virginia General Assembly"
Posted
At the close of the eighteenth century, a series of revolutions broke out throughout the Atlantic World.